note: last updated in 2020
alright so i just reblogged a really lengthy post of kdrama reviews and well i haven’t watched a lot of shows myself so i’m going to do that as well! and then just update it every time i finish one hehe
(in the order of when i started them)
1. descendants of the sun (2016)
◦ first one i watched because my sister forced me to
◦ a doctor and a soldier meet and fall in love
◦ their occupations make their relationship exciting but difficult
◦ really keeps you on the edge of your seat
◦ funny, exciting, sad with a really good romance
◦ i always rec this to friends who’re watching kdrama for the first time
◦ works every time! doesn’t disappoint
2. boys over flowers (2009)
◦ a classic, everyone i know grew up watching this
◦ remake of taiwanese drama meteor garden
◦ the first of its kind to use known cliches now like
◦ rich guy falls for poor girl, hate turned love, group of popular rich kids in elite high school, etc
◦ lengthy with 25 eps so i wouldn’t rec this to everyone but also kind of worth it
3. uncontrollably fond (2016)
◦ sister also forced me to watch this
◦ heavy melodrama
◦ girl is a producer and guy is an actor/singer
◦ they grew up together but got separated and then they meet again when the girl is hired to produce the guy’s documentary
◦ so, so, sooo many tears T-T
◦ i usually rec this only to ppl who’ve been watching kdrama for a while
4. weightlifting fairy kim bok joo (2016)
◦ set in a sports university
◦ a weightlifter and a swimmer
◦ very light and funny
◦ i like the cinematography! it suits the story because it’s cute with earthy tones and pastels
◦ its cheesy pda became too much for me so i got turned off :/
◦ but if you like that then i do recommend!
5. w – two worlds (2016)
◦ mystery romance
◦ girl somehow ends up in the world of a webtoon and alternates between reality and fiction
◦ she keeps saving the main character whenever he’s about to get killed and she ends up falling for him (of course)
◦ it’s so exciting that you keep having to watch the next episode to find out what happens
6. moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo (2016)
◦ historical drama
◦ girl in the present suddenly ends up in the past in another woman’s body
◦ she meets the eight (??) princes of the royal family
◦ super funny and it’s very interesting to watch the main character adapt to life in that era and interact with the princes
◦ i love this drama so much it never bored me even with 20 eps
◦ i also rec this to friends who’ve been watching kdrama for a while
◦ hands down my favorite cinematography in a kdrama
7. while you were sleeping (2017)
◦ a girl’s dreams always come true but she doesn’t act on them
◦ until she meets a prosecutor whom she helps out with his cases through her dreams
◦ a lot of moral decisions are made here and it really makes you think which is what i like about the show
◦ also made me cry a lot :’(
◦ i love the cinematography!! it’s my fave after scarlet heart
8. strong woman do bong soon (2017)
◦ girl with superhuman strength is hired to be a ceo’s bodyguard
◦ very funny and the leads are so so cute!! they’re very affectionate
◦ but when it makes me cry the tears just keep on coming
◦ you really see how much the guy likes the girl and it makes me so soft
◦ it has a feminist theme and also deals with family ♡ though it does have a murder mystery lol
◦ i watched this in the least amount of time!! with kdramas i usually take a week or two but with this one i only took three days
9. it’s okay, that’s love (2014)
◦ a writer and a psychiatrist are featured on a talk show together and things don’t go so well between them
◦ the show deals very well with mental health issues and that’s what i admire about it
◦ it really opens your eyes to how inclusive the topic of mental health is because it affects more people than you think
◦ so much kindness, love, and understanding exists between the cast and that’s why they’re my favorite cast in all the kdramas i’ve seen
◦ even with such a heavy theme, this show has made me laugh so much!! the cast has so much chemistry you can’t help but laugh at their antics
10. reply 1988 (2014)
◦ a group of neighborhood friends and their families who’ve all grown up together!
◦ basically figure out who the female lead will end up with
◦ all the characters are so interesting and the chemistry between the cast members is very clearly seen
◦ it also makes you feel giddy because of the simplest things like the characters sharing an umbrella and lending a jacket
◦ although it’s very lighthearted, the way it portrays family issues really hits deep and i’ve shed so many tears because of this
◦ one of my all-time favorite kdramas
11. something in the rain (2017)
◦ woman in her early thirties falls in love with her best friend’s brother who’s in his late twenties
◦ very domestic, very normal with the main conflicts being the disapproval of their conservative families of their relationship (woman older than man), as well as sexual harassment at work (which is very prevalent in korea)
◦ it got very boring/draggy at times, but it was very refreshing for me because i liked how normal/domestic it was
◦ there’s not much that distinguishes it from other kdramas, but i just liked being able to see two normal adults with normal problems falling in love normally
◦ they can just be so sickening at times with how in love they are, but it made me giddy anyway
◦ of course, jung hae in’s visuals made it a hundred times better
12. the sound of your heart (2016)
◦ the struggles of a thirty-something web comic artist who lives with his parents and older brother
◦ very exaggerated and comedic, which usually isn’t my taste but i do remember laughing a lot while watching this
◦ i actually watched this to analyze it for our english research project! totally worth it though, i love lee kwangsoo and jung somin
13. crash landing on you (2019)
◦ rich ceo crash lands in north korea while paragliding
◦ she befriends a group of soldiers and falls in love with the captain while he tries to help her go back home
◦ the second leads were honestly the best part of this drama
◦ taught me a lot about being kind to everyone no matter what
◦ major character development for the ceo who goes from a rich spoiled brat to a sweet and gentle friend, lover, daughter, and boss
◦ the relationship lacked development for me (especially because the male lead is the typical stoic, emotionless kdrama lead), but i do think they made up for it in the last two episodes... the love between them was just so tender
◦ i also loved how they humanized north korea and its people instead of 100% showing it was evil
14. doctor romantic 1 (2016)
◦ an exceptional triple-board surgeon trains young doctors at his hospital
◦ first drama i watched where the romance wasn’t the focal point
◦ a lot of my friends complained about the lack of chemistry/romantic development but you have to consider... they were working as full-time doctors in a small hospital (among many other issues) and they weren’t the focus of the story so it’s understandable! or maybe i’m just crazy for yoo yeon seok
◦ this taught me a lot about doing your absolute best no matter what and strongly maintaining your principles
◦ this also made me appreciate all my teachers and mentors so much :(
15. doctor romantic 2 (2020)
◦ basically a continuation of season 1 with a new group of young doctors!
◦ a little more political, it showed how politics and capitalism could get in the way of values and compassion even in hospitals
◦ the cinematography also made it look a lot like a film HAHA
◦ shows the importance of believing in yourself when it feels like no one does—or, alternatively, the importance of having at least one person believe in you when you can’t even believe in yourself
16. temperature of love (2017)
◦ a chef and a writer fall in love before and after they become successful at their respective careers
◦ also a drama where the girl is older than the guy, but compared to something in the rain, it was less of a conflict even though it was heavily emphasized
◦ i admit i watched this right after doctor romantic for seo hyunjin and yang sejong
◦ watching the two characters work hard and slowly gain achievements one by one in their respective fields made me so happy (to the point of tears!) and it reminded me now, as a teenager, that success doesn’t come so easily even in adulthood
◦ much more ordinary compared to the dramas i’d watched before this, but it was able to showcase very real relationship struggles (familial, platonic, romantic) and i learned a lot from how the characters dealt with them
17. winter sonata (2002)
◦ a high school boy transfers schools to look for his father and ends up falling in love
◦ watched this for choi ji woo because of coffee friends (2019)!!
◦ super draggy because of its nature as a melodrama which only revolved around the romance
◦ very predictable, except for its ending :(
18. itaewon class (2020)
◦ park saeroyi has a 15-year-plan of starting his own pub to eventually defeat the number one food business in korea
◦ its plot is so different and no character is perfect
◦ it’s the perfect example of “there is no hero without a tragedy” and i would LOVE to discuss its plot and characters in a creative writing/fiction class
19. extracurricular (2020)
◦ a shy high school student at the top of his class runs a secret illegal business, and one of his classmates finds out and blackmails him
◦ i haven’t watched a high school drama in a while so this was quite refreshing
◦ bae gyuri is the bitch i aspire to be
◦ kim donghee >>>>>>> life
19. the light in your eyes (2019)
◦ a 25-year-old woman turns over 60 years old overnight
◦ taught me a lot about how hard life really is for the elderly (especially important to me because all my grandparents died when i was young)
◦ too slow-paced and comedic (exaggerated?) for my taste
◦ i just want nam joo hyuk as a boyfriend :’(
20. what’s wrong with secretary kim? (2018)
◦ after a decade at her job, secretary kim decides to resign in order to find herself, and this news ultimately confuses ceo youngjun, her boss
◦ i really enjoyed it in the first half but it got so boring immediately in the second half (aka after they got together)
◦ this is the most disappointing drama i’ve ever watched??? there are so many things about it that make it... bad
◦ i actually watched this a year ago and only decided to continue/finish it now and honestly? i regret ever starting it in the first place
◦ there’s a side couple i was completely invested in and was developed MUCH BETTER than the main couple :/
21. another miss oh (2016)
◦ this was pretty cute at first but it ended up being really draggy and confusing :/
◦ way too comedic for my taste and the fantasy-like trope was so oddly placed it didn’t make sense why they put it in the first place when it was difficult to understand what purpose it served the plot
◦ (i also don’t find the male lead cute hahaha)
◦ also who in their right minds would think seo hyun jin was the ugly oh haeyoung??? NO RIGHTS
22. sky castle (2018)
◦ i honestly had no plans of watching it until i finally get into college in fear of triggering my anxiety but! one day i found myself curious enough to start it
◦ i cried over this not gonna lie
◦ not sure if i’m glad or regretful that i watched it while i’m doing college apps??? this show has made me the most grade-conscious i’ve ever been which was probably the opposite of their intention
that’s all for now, thank you for reading!!
